<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
  <head>
    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content=
    "application/xhtml+xml; charset=iso-8859-1" />
    <title>
      Foreword
    </title>
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../stylesheets/lfs.css" />
    <meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.78.1" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="../stylesheets/lfs-print.css" type=
    "text/css" media="print" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
  </head>
  <body class="lfs" id="lfs-8.0">
    <div class="navheader">
      <h4>
        Linux From Scratch - Version 8.0
      </h4>
      <h3>
        Preface
      </h3>
      <ul>
        <li class="prev">
          <a accesskey="p" href="preface.html" title="Preface">Prev</a>
          <p>
            Preface
          </p>
        </li>
        <li class="next">
          <a accesskey="n" href="audience.html" title="Audience">Next</a>
          <p>
            Audience
          </p>
        </li>
        <li class="up">
          <a accesskey="u" href="preface.html" title="Preface">Up</a>
        </li>
        <li class="home">
          <a accesskey="h" href="../index.html" title=
          "Linux From Scratch - Version 8.0 ">Home</a>
        </li>
      </ul>
    </div>
    <div class="sect1" lang="en" xml:lang="en">
      <h1 class="sect1">
        <a id="pre-foreword" name="pre-foreword"></a>i. Foreword
      </h1>
      <p>
        My journey to learn and better understand Linux began over a decade
        ago, back in 1998. I had just installed my first Linux distribution
        and had quickly become intrigued with the whole concept and
        philosophy behind Linux.
      </p>
      <p>
        There are always many ways to accomplish a single task. The same can
        be said about Linux distributions. A great many have existed over the
        years. Some still exist, some have morphed into something else, yet
        others have been relegated to our memories. They all do things
        differently to suit the needs of their target audience. Because so
        many different ways to accomplish the same end goal exist, I began to
        realize I no longer had to be limited by any one implementation.
        Prior to discovering Linux, we simply put up with issues in other
        Operating Systems as you had no choice. It was what it was, whether
        you liked it or not. With Linux, the concept of choice began to
        emerge. If you didn't like something, you were free, even encouraged,
        to change it.
      </p>
      <p>
        I tried a number of distributions and could not decide on any one.
        They were great systems in their own right. It wasn't a matter of
        right and wrong anymore. It had become a matter of personal taste.
        With all that choice available, it became apparent that there would
        not be a single system that would be perfect for me. So I set out to
        create my own Linux system that would fully conform to my personal
        preferences.
      </p>
      <p>
        To truly make it my own system, I resolved to compile everything from
        source code instead of using pre-compiled binary packages. This
        <span class="quote">&ldquo;<span class=
        "quote">perfect</span>&rdquo;</span> Linux system would have the
        strengths of various systems without their perceived weaknesses. At
        first, the idea was rather daunting. I remained committed to the idea
        that such a system could be built.
      </p>
      <p>
        After sorting through issues such as circular dependencies and
        compile-time errors, I finally built a custom-built Linux system. It
        was fully operational and perfectly usable like any of the other
        Linux systems out there at the time. But it was my own creation. It
        was very satisfying to have put together such a system myself. The
        only thing better would have been to create each piece of software
        myself. This was the next best thing.
      </p>
      <p>
        As I shared my goals and experiences with other members of the Linux
        community, it became apparent that there was a sustained interest in
        these ideas. It quickly became plain that such custom-built Linux
        systems serve not only to meet user specific requirements, but also
        serve as an ideal learning opportunity for programmers and system
        administrators to enhance their (existing) Linux skills. Out of this
        broadened interest, the <span class="emphasis"><em>Linux From Scratch
        Project</em></span> was born.
      </p>
      <p>
        This Linux From Scratch book is the central core around that project.
        It provides the background and instructions necessary for you to
        design and build your own system. While this book provides a template
        that will result in a correctly working system, you are free to alter
        the instructions to suit yourself, which is, in part, an important
        part of this project. You remain in control; we just lend a helping
        hand to get you started on your own journey.
      </p>
      <p>
        I sincerely hope you will have a great time working on your own Linux
        From Scratch system and enjoy the numerous benefits of having a
        system that is truly your own.
      </p>
      <div class="literallayout">
        <p>
          --<br />
          Gerard&nbsp;Beekmans<br />
          gerard@linuxfromscratch.org
        </p>
      </div>
    </div>
    <div class="navfooter">
      <ul>
        <li class="prev">
          <a accesskey="p" href="preface.html" title="Preface">Prev</a>
          <p>
            Preface
          </p>
        </li>
        <li class="next">
          <a accesskey="n" href="audience.html" title="Audience">Next</a>
          <p>
            Audience
          </p>
        </li>
        <li class="up">
          <a accesskey="u" href="preface.html" title="Preface">Up</a>
        </li>
        <li class="home">
          <a accesskey="h" href="../index.html" title=
          "Linux From Scratch - Version 8.0 ">Home</a>
        </li>
      </ul>
    </div>
  </body>
</html>
